Breaking the Chain

All they had was a belief in themselves. Would it be enough to win a championship?

They were known as the Rowdies. Pat, Mitch, Morgan, Johnny, and Frank were neighborhood kids in Chicago's East Island, a working-class part of town, during the seventies. With reverence, they watched the older kids play football and yearned for their chance to be on the high school team.

They dreamed about winning a championship and achieving eternal football glory.

Too bad no Chicago public school had ever won a state title before, and Colehour High School had a culture of losing, a washed-up coach, and a roster full of combustible players. Most of all, they had no respect.

But Pat Brogan saw something in themselves that no one else did: a spark of greatness. All they needed to do was wade through teenage life full of youthful pranks, girls, and neighborhood tensions to unleash it.

There was no telling what they could accomplish, once they broke the chain.

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